The Civil War Answers

Responses may vary but should include some or all of the following information: The Compromise of 1850 was a group of acts passed by Congress in the hope of settling the slavery question by giving some satisfaction to both the North and the South. The compromise also allowed California to join the Union as a free state. It also included a strict fugitive slave law that required Northerners to return escaped slaves to their owners, even though many people disagreed with the law. The Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed by Congress in 1854. Like the Compromise of 1850, it dealt with the problem of slavery in newly formed territories. The act organized Kansas and Nebraska as territories and let the residents in each territory choose whether or not to permit slavery, a process called popular sovereignty. Many Northerners opposed the act. They also feared that once slavery was in the territory, it was there to stay.

Responses may vary but should include some or all of the following information: Sectionalism is defined as having loyalty to one’s own region. People living in the North were loyal to the North, and people living in the South were loyal to the South. The main issue with this is that the North and South were completely different regions in the 1800s, which caused major tension when it came to politics and the overall vision for the country. For example, the people living in the North based their economy on manufacturing. Most of their labor was provided by immigrants from foreign countries. They were also anti-slavery, which meant that Northern states were free states. The South looked very different; they based their economy on agriculture,which required a large labor force. Their labor force was made up mostly of slaves. Because the South was so dependent on slave labor, they were pro-slavery and allowed slavery in their states. These differences caused tensions between the two regions, which was one of the factors that led to the Civil War.

Responses may vary but should include some or all of the following information: The Battle of Pea Ridge was the first battle fought outside of Indian Territory by American Indian troops from Indian Territory. General Curtis, the leader of the Union troops, advanced northwest into Arkansas. The Confederates counterattacked. General Van Dorn wanted the American Indians to join the battle. General Pike sent two Cherokee regiments to help General Van Dorn even though it violated the Pike Treaties. The two armies battled between March 6-8in 1862. The Union won the battle and gained more ground securing Arkansas and Missouri for the Union. Overall, the battle weakened the Confederacy’s position in the West. They lost weapons, soldiers, and supplies. Pike returned to Indian Territory with the American Indian regiments. He later resigned his post because he was angry with how his men were used. The Union gained strength after the battle. They held Missouri for the next two years and tried to regain Indian Territory.

Responses may vary but should include some or all of the following information: There were five main ties that the South had in Indian Territory that influenced the decision made by American Indians about the war. The South’s main political tie to the region lied in the fact that the majority of Indian agents in the territory were from the South. This allowed them to communicate with the Five Tribes and influence decisions they made. American Indians in the Indian Territory also sold the majority of their crops to the South, who they relied on for economic support. American Indians also had family ties in the South, which affected their loyalties to the region. Many American Indians also had cultural ties to the South, which meant that they supported slavery.

Responses may vary but should include some or all of the following information: When the Five Tribes signed treaties to align with the Confederacy, both sides made promises to one another. The Five Tribes gave the Confederacy the right to construct roads, military posts, and railroads in their territory. They also gave the Confederacy the right to establish a postal system and a telegraph system in their territory as well as gather more soldiers for the Confederate American Indian troops. In return, the Confederacy promised to establish the Five Tribes as their protectorates, annex the Indian Territory, honor the Five Tribes’ ownership of their tribal lands, continue the institution of slavery, supply the tribes with weapons, pay the troops, let troops remain in Indian Territory (unless the tribe approves their movement), and pay their annuities to the Union.